Sonic and Tails use a Star Post to get to the Mystic Cave Zone, where they are immediately attacked by a Crawlton. Sonic defeats it, releasing the canary trapped within, but is then cornered by Flashers and forced over a cliff. Tails stops him from falling into some spikes, but then knocks his head on a rock and they both become trapped in a pit that starts to close in on them from either side. There is a handle above them, and when Tails pulls it the spikes retract.

Just then Doctor Sun himself appears with his followers. Stripes is there, but says he doesn't want to go back with Sonic - he wants to stay with Doctor Sun. Doctor Sun shows Sonic and Tails back to his headquarters, where he maintains a sanctuary for those who wish to hide from Robotnik. All day long the children read comics and play video games, and when they feel ready to join Doctor Sun's order they may pass through the Salvation Doorway into the inner sanctum. Sun offers to let Sonic join, but he refuses.

However, Sun accidentally says the word "Eggsactly", and Sonic realizes that Sun must really be Robotnik! Inside the inner sanctum is a machine to turn Emerald Hill Folk into Badniks. Robotnik is furious at having been exposed. People were actually volunteering to be Badniks (though they didn't realise until it was too late). Sonic steals Robotnik's Flying Egg and crashes it into the machine, destroying it and Doctor Sun's church.

All of the children are taken to safely, but Sonic expects Robotnik will have escaped. He's always got an escape route and, when Sonic's involved, he always needs one.

Continuity

Doctor Robotnik: The Interview

Reporter Bob "Scribbly" Cosgrove sits down to interview Doctor Robotnik, the ruler of Mobius. Cosgrove's repetitive impetuous questions so infuriate the doctor that he is motivated to demonstrate one of his newest weapons.

Doctor Robotnik in... "Test Drive"

Synopsis

Grimer presents Doctor Robotnik with a new Flying Egg (resembling his boss vehicle from the Aquatic Ruin Zone in Sonic the Hedgehog 2). Robotnik tests the machine's hammer on a statue of Sonic, but then decides he really needs a moving target... so he starts chasing Grimer instead! Having cornered Grimer, Robotnik decides to use the Mega Attack Lever (despite Grimer's earlier warnings not to), and the hammer strikes Robotnik so hard he smashes through the bottom of the machine!

Appearances

Tails - "Attack of the Badniks"

Synopsis

Tails is on his way back to Sonic's Secret Underground Base when he is attacked by several flying Badniks. He hastily avoids them by flying through some trees (leading some of the less maneouvreable to crash), then into a dark cave where he destroys the rest. However, one wait outside, and when Tails emerges the Badnik ambushes him. Tails is saved at the last moment by Sonic, who is surprised that Tails couldn't handle one Badnik. Tails tries to explain that there were many more, but Sonic just doesn't listen and speeds away.

One day, he sees something like a meteor fall out of the sky and crash somewhere in the Ice Cap Zone. He takes one of the island's Zoom Tubes to reach it quickly, and finds that it is not a meteor but a space satellite. Wary of an attack, Knuckles encounters a floating remote camera, which relays the voice of someone trapped inside the ship, pleading for assistance. Knuckles asks whether the individual is one of Knuckles' people, but no - it is a humble inventor. The main engines failed and he was forced to make an emergency landing on Mobius. Knuckles is forced to explain that the ship has not landed on Mobius, but rather on the Floating Island. And when Knuckles mentions that he guards the sacred Chaos Emeralds, the voice becomes very interested indeed.

Knuckles is led to the source of the voice, which is revealed to be Doctor Ivo Robotnik, trapped under some rubble. He warns Knuckles of a grave danger that threatens his island... a threat in the form of Sonic the Hedgehog!